People believe media messages influence others more than themselves.
Davison's 1983 finding. Its political consequence is real: support for censorship tracks the belief that others are influenced, so the bias drives policy rather than merely describing perception.
In practice
- A parents' meeting agrees that the advertising affects other people's children, and every parent exempts their own.
- A survey where most respondents say advertising does not work on them and does work on the public is measuring the effect rather than the advertising.
- Further reading
- Wikipedia
- Subject
- Communication & Media
- Essay
- What happens to a message after it is sent